A man with a shopping cart

"Get what you have to buy and come out quickly."

I knew my husband would sit in the car, reading the newspaper and urge me to get out quickly. But contrary to expectations, he took the lead with a cart. I was following him and then snooped around looking for bargains. My husband went straight to the vegetable department. And stayed in the fish department for a long time.

My husband worked in a vegetable shop in the early 70s for just a few days. Does he remember those days? He was serious choosing the thick layer of the scallions, pressing inside the Napa cabbage and tapping the watermelon and choose something fresh and delicious. The husband's choice of fish is more prudent. He see the eyes and the color of the fish, but he press it with his hands, pick it out fresh one, and rinse the fishy hands as if he is satisfied.

The husband's family, whose hometown is Hamkyong-do, has great enthusiasm for fish. The mother-in-law buys the flounders every time she goes the market. She sit on the floor and trim the flounders. Some of them preserve in salt to make sikhye and dry in a net what's left. At the table, the family members have no conversation only enjoy eating fish.

Not only does eat a fish eyeball, skin, or flesh, but also eat fish head. It can be reminiscent of ‘the animal kingdom.’ As if the zebra caught by a lion was disintegrating without being shape. I just watch my husband as if became a Heine with only hold chopsticks. Sometimes, he feels sorry to me and give a big piece of flesh.

I snooped at the butcher's. My husband, who hates meat looked at me with a curt eye. I heard the loud sound, "why do you pick up the rib pack that is not on sale?” It was the cry of a middle-aged man whose wife was holding a pack of ribs next to him. The women who had been shopping around were looking around in amazement and giggling in silence. She put down it she had held. Somehow I felt bitter about the sense of fellowship we were heading in the same boat.

"Why pick up the bad ramen?" I avoided the look of my husband, who looked at me with a glare. When my husband goes out to meet his friends, I enjoy watching TV and eating ramen. When the hot and cool broth of Ramen goes down the throat, the stress that has accumulated for a while seems to be getting washed away. When the husband cares about something else, I slipped a pack of ramen deep into the cart.

When I saw the fillet of flounders I was happy as if had met the savior. The freezer is full of flounders. I don't have to worry about preparing meals for a while. My husband is happy, whenever there are the flounders. He'll boil, saute and fry them to eat.

My husband, who is broad looking, would the wide flounders be so good? I prefer saury. Come to think of that. I look like a saury!